U.S.-Ireland Cooperative Research: Routes to Innovation Patterns Reflected in Interference Files

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9320352 Kash This three-year award supports U.S.-Ireland cooperative research in technological innovation between Don Kash of George Mason University and William Kingston of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The objective of the study is to trace the evolution of technological innovation through research on the "interference files" of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The award supports dissertation research and travel to Ireland for the principal investigator and an advanced graduate student to analyze the data with Dr. Kingston, a world renown scholar and expert on patents. Historically U.S. patents have been granted, not to the first to file an application, but the first to invent. When two applications have been filed nearly simultaneously, the patent examiner declares an "interference" and both parties must provide evidence as to their respective dates of invention. This evidence usually reveals the details of every aspect of the generation of the invention and is a rich source on the process of innovation. Dr. Kash brings to this collaboration expertise on innovation. This is complemented by Dr. Kingston's research on patent systems and intellectual property rights. The proposed research will advance our understanding of the innovation process and patent behavior and their public policy implications. ***